Participants listen to Kiir’s opening remarks at Freedom Hall, Juba, on Friday, Feb 14, 2020 | Credit | Charles Wote

President Salva Kiir’s supporters unanimously adopted 32 states plus Abyei Administrative area after a brief consultation meeting in Juba on Friday.

Among the resolutions, the meeting agreed that the unity government be formed on the 22 February, and that all other outstanding issues be handled by the reconstituted transitional government.

On Wednesday, President Kiir directed the Minister of Information to invite signatories and stakeholders to the revitalized peace agreement to attend a consultative meeting to determine the number and boundaries of the states.

Over the weekend, Kiir and Machar failed in Addis Ababa to resolve the matter.

Among those invited were the SPLM- IO, Former Detainees, Faith base group, civil society among others.

But the SPLM-IO and others turned down the invitation.

Meanwhile, the South Sudan Civil Society Forum has recommended a return to 10 states as a solution to the stalemate on the number of states and boundaries.

The body urges the peace parties to adopt 10 states and explain to their supporters that the compromise is necessary to save the peace agreement to give way to smooth commencement of the transitional period.

“Since they are not able to reach a consensus, the country should revert to the number of states we had after independence as a fallback position and as a transitional measure or arrangement to allow us pick-up from there,” Rajab Mohandis, executive director for the Organization for Responsive Governance read out the letter on behalf the civil society.